The more things change...
Governments may change, but much else remains the same. In July of last year the Supreme Court ruled that two gay men had been wrongly refused asylum after being told that they could live freely in their home countries of Cameroon and Iran as long as they shifted locations and "behaved" discreetly. At the time Theresa May welcomed the ruling, say it vindicated the coalition's stance.
Six months later and barring a last minute reprieve, Brenda Namigadde will today be deported back to Uganda. Namigadde's asylum claim has been rejected on the grounds that despite her claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that she's homosexual. Quite what you have to do to prove that you're gay to an immigration judge is unclear, although you'd place your bets that there's plenty of queen's counsels that would normally be most interested in the specifics. Even considering the possibility that Namigadde has lied about her sexual orientation ever since she left Uganda, it's hardly the most opportune time to deport her: David Kato, one of the men that sued the Rolling Stone newspaper after it printed a list of the country's "100 top homos" alongside a banner that called for them to be hanged, was murdered in his home yesterday. The very least Theresa May could do is intervene and ensure that Namigadde's deportation is delayed until it's certain that she's not a lesbian. She wouldn't want to join her Labour predecessors in sending "failed asylum seekers" back to an early grave, would she?
Six months later and barring a last minute reprieve, Brenda Namigadde will today be deported back to Uganda. Namigadde's asylum claim has been rejected on the grounds that despite her claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that she's homosexual. Quite what you have to do to prove that you're gay to an immigration judge is unclear, although you'd place your bets that there's plenty of queen's counsels that would normally be most interested in the specifics. Even considering the possibility that Namigadde has lied about her sexual orientation ever since she left Uganda, it's hardly the most opportune time to deport her: David Kato, one of the men that sued the Rolling Stone newspaper after it printed a list of the country's "100 top homos" alongside a banner that called for them to be hanged, was murdered in his home yesterday. The very least Theresa May could do is intervene and ensure that Namigadde's deportation is delayed until it's certain that she's not a lesbian. She wouldn't want to join her Labour predecessors in sending "failed asylum seekers" back to an early grave, would she?
Labels: asylum seekers, Brenda Namigadde, Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, Theresa May
I didn't know that Murdoch owned a Ugandan newspaper.
Posted by Jemmy Hope | Saturday, January 29, 2011 3:59:00 pm
He's certainly taken part in some Ugandan discussions in his time.
Posted by septicisle | Saturday, January 29, 2011 7:38:00 pm
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